A talented goalkeeper who dreams of someday playing for a World Cup, 13-year-old Morgen Smith understands the risks a concussion can pose.

As a keeper, Smith said shes taken kicks to the head and seen teammates suffer from concussions.

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A new report from the Missouri State High School Activities Association said nearly 900 high school students suffered a concussion while playing sports last fall.

Most of those athletes were football players.

In Smiths game, she, too, once had a close call.

I came out to make a save, and the girl was going to shoot the ball, Smith described. I pushed the ball out of the way, and she still kicked and hit me in the face instead with her foot.

The report released from MSHSAA said 871 high school athletes suffered concussions last fall.

Football players accounted for 653 of the cases. Boys soccer was the second-leading sport, with 81 reported cases. Female athletes fared for 40 incidents from softball players and 40 cases involved sideline cheerleaders.

The report is the first of its kind after the Missouri Legislature adopted a law requiring the statistics to be reported to track concussions by sport and gender, as well as to evaluate measures now in place to prevent future accidents.

Football coach Fred Bouchard said the statistics may not paint the entire picture of the issue.

I still think its an under-reported issue, said Bouchard, who coaches at Staley High School in Kansas City.

Bouchard said the survey numbers to him seem small, considering the thousands of high school students who play sports.

Coaches and players are still learning how to identify concussion symptoms, Bouchard said, adding that coaches feel as if theyre better educated at spotting problems.

You know, coaches are educators, Bouchard said. Theyre in the business for young people. They dont want to put young people in harms way.